BMI 32.... Will I be rejected?

I'm sorry the nurses were rude.  Quite frankly it pisses me off that they think they have the right to give their opinion when they were clearly not asked for it.

I'm glad everything went smoothly for you!  Good luck with your journey :)

Hi there Meeka_21,

Well the worrying about my BMI seems like a distant memory now! I'm 4 weeks post op and so far everything is going smoothly. Weight loss is slower than I'd expected but that seems to be normal being in the lower starting weight range. 

I was 92kg-94kg and am 165cm. Dr Lockie and his wife and team were fantastic. The nurses at the hospital kept saying how 'tiny' I was and one was quite rude about what I was having done and saying I ll never drink more than 30ml at a time for the rest of my life... Which is obviously incorrect. But overall.. Most nurses and all of Dr Lockies team were great. All I can say if your Dr doesn't agree to it, another will so DONT STRESS!! I know I was too at the time but as I said... It's now a distant memory.

Good luck with your consultation and let me know how you go... I'm sure you ll be fine !!

hi bmtalwalsh,

How did everything go?  I'd love to hear your experience.  I was also worried that at my BMI of 36/37 I would be laughed at.  I went to one nurse (before seeing that particular surgeon) and she looked at me and told me i wasn't big enough for the sleeve.. but here have the band lol.  I was like ok I'll take all that info and think about it.  The moment I left there I searched on here and came across Dr Greenslade.  His reception lady was absolutely wonderful and I asked her if I would be eligible with my bmi and she believes that I would be a candidate do yay!  I have my consultation next week on Thursday.

Hope everything went well for you :)

Thanks guys, I just can't WAIT to have it all behind me. I'm 120% positive I've made the right decision so any little road block scares the hell out of me!

At this stage, I'm also getting sleeved in September, on the 9th at North West, Brisbane. I have all my appointments tomorrow and Tues as I live in Nth Qld and am doing everything required before hand in 2 days. FINGERS CROSSED!!

When I first saw my doctor my BMI was 34. She was happy to give me a referral as my waist measurement was over 100cm. 
When i saw my surgeon I was concerned i wasn't big enough ( by that time I had a BMI of 37) But they weighed me with clothes and boots on so my BMi was over 40. I asked him if he would do me if he would do a sleeve on anyone not morbidly obese and he said absolutly, why wait until there are more health issues…
End of story 2 weeks on optislim and I'm being sleeved tomorrow       Can't wait.

Like you I was also unsure I would be accepted for the surgery option as my BMI is 34.  I explained to my doctor why I wanted this done and she was a little hesitant but had known my roller coaster ride with weight control.  Be honest and upfront.   
I booked in to see Dr Justin Greenslade in Brisbane. I did a lot of online research and he seem to have good reviews around.  He was lovely,  he explained that even though I was on the lower end of the BMI scale I could still have it done. He went through all the details gave me so fantastic reading material that was easy and very interesting to read.  One of the good things about being at the lower end of BMI I do not have to go on the pre surgery diet etc.  I am also hoping that I shouldn't have as many if any complications with recovery.  Fingers crossed on that one.
My surgery is booked for the 10th of Sept and believe it or not I am excited - so much so I have my bag packed already to go. 

Thanks heaps for that Garfield99, you're made me feel much better. At the end of the day, i want it so bad i'll keep searching until i find someone willing to help. I have depression also and have tried every... single...bloody...diet known to man. It's just one big vicious circle and I am ready to live a life that is not revolved around my weight and how crap i feel. 

Thanks again :)

Just tell the Doctor you already have an appointment so need the referral and take photocopies of it because if one surgeon turns you down, you can use the same referral for another Surgeon - all they need is a letter from the Doctor to proceed.  It isn't the Doctor's place to tell you whether you are entitled to have the surgery, the decision is made by the Surgeon.  Mine wrote it out listing everything I have tried in the past 5years etc but he said I doubt you will get operated on as he handed me the referral letter.  But I did!

I wouldn't bother with the adding weight part etc, I would just be totally open and honest.  Let them know your family medical history, your current problems and why you want to have the sleeve.  Don't be upset if you get turned away by one surgeon, keep trying.  My BMI was 34 from memory, plus I have PCOS and depression with family that has diabetes.  After 4yrs on Duromine, trying every weight loss firm e.g. Sure Slim, Jenny Craig, lemon detox diet blah blah and I was gaining even though I was exercising all the time, I just couldn't lose the weight and constantly hungry.  So write down your reasons for why you want to have the surgery, what you have tried, how it's affecting you day to day life and what you are wanting to achieve.

I have been turned away by surgeons and yes you feel gutted, but in the long term I am happy as my current surgeon is brilliant.  He really knows his stuff and actually cares about his patients well being, not just trying to make money or be a know it all ass (you might meet a few of those surgeons - I had one laugh at me when I told him my goal weight and said I would never get there - I got there alright, and I bested it by another 5.9kgs!)

You can call surgeries in advance and ask the reception whether their surgeon will even consider you as some surgeons are quite strict e.g. 40 BMI and even 35 BMI with co-morbs, but it has actually been brought down to 30 BMI with co-morbs in an attempt to stop the obesity in its tracks as a preventative measure.

I am all for low BMI obesity surgery - you already know within yourself you have a problem and it's only getting worse, why not take the necessary steps NOW before it gets worse and then you have to deal with reconstructive surgery.  My arms are a little baggy and my tummy is horridly wrinkled, but I've done the hard yards now and at a great weight for my height (5'2) and finally in the normal BMI range.

Wishing you every success :-)

Thanks willogirl, that's exactly how I feel too... do I really have to put on weight to be considered?? The fact i have 3 small children probably should be reason enough for me to lose it on my own but it's an uphill battle that is getting more and more out of control. Fingers crossed!

Just tell them that you don't want to wait until your BMI increases to 40 and that you are worried about yourself because of your family history. Tell them how you have tried other diets and you can get the weight off but can't keep it off. Tell them that you want a long life and feel that with your increasing weight you might not have one. My bariatric surgeon says he doesn't even do bands anymore as he doesn't think they are safe or work.

Hi, thanks for that. I have a strong history of diabetes and heart disease in my immediate family so hopefully that is enough to get me over the line (with the spare change in the pocket and heavy clothes :).

It's quite sad that we have to go to these measures but i'm not interested in 'banding' and I qualify for that.

When you go to get the referral, wear heavy clothes, try and conceal some ankle weights under your trousers, have lots of small change in your pocket, drink lots of fluids before the appointment, and don't pee until after the appointment.  That'll add a few kilos.

Usually you need BMI 40 to be considered, though they'll consider BMI 35 if you have comorbidities.

All I know is that EVERYONE worries that their Doctor will not give them a referral and most have no problems. My BMI is 40 and my Doctor didn't want to but I had already made an appointment and so she gave it to me. The Surgeon just took one look at me and proceeded with the induction for it.
It would depend on your health, age, family health history ie stroke, heart attack, cancer etc. If you have any of these types of things the Doctor would be more inclined to refer you on.

Hi there,
I've finally made the decision to take the steps of getting the sleeve however now I am absolutely terrified that my GP won't give me a referral, and if they do, the Dr won't perform the procedure. Can anyone share the experience that has a BMI under 35 yet still qualified to have the sleeve? I'm in Nth Qld and was looking at Cairns or wondering if I should fly to Brisbane to have it done.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated